Sam never expected to bump into Sophie here.
After all, he had never seen her at this convenience store before.
The main feature of a convenience store is, well, its convenience. This implies that only locals frequent it for their shopping needs.
Observing Sophie’s current state,
Her hair was somewhat disheveled and damp, clearly fresh from a shower.
And she was clad in pajamas, the quintessential home attire.
This all but confirmed that she lived nearby; otherwise, she wouldn’t have come to the store dressed like this, especially to buy sanitary pads.
Awkward! She caught him working a part-time job here, and worse, his hand was on the very package of sanitary pads she needed!
“How much is that?”
Sophie broke the silence, her cheeks still flushed with a hint of red.
Placing the sanitary pads into a shopping bag, he replied, “That’ll be $25. Cash or electronic payment?”
“Cash.”
Sophie’s response was brisk. She dropped the cash, grabbed the shopping bag, and turned to leave, hardly leaving Sam any chance for further conversation.
Sophie hated these kinds of encounters, this sort of forced interaction.
She indeed remembered this male classmate, mainly because of an incident in the study room that had left a significant impression. However, her guard was always up. She didn’t believe that his purpose in visiting the study room was purely for studying.
After all, she had encountered this before: boys pretending to run into her coincidentally in the study room, when their real intent was just to strike up a conversation with her.
Sophie harbored a deep distrust of men, an intensity that was almost overwhelming. Most of the shadows in her life’s experiences stemmed from men.
Thus, she neither believed in men nor entertained the idea of liking any of them.
Even though this unnamed classmate was more handsome than most, his manner of showing up was so off-putting that she naturally categorized him as trash.
Damn it, why did he have to turn up working here?
And why, of all places, near where she lived?
She had just moved to this neighborhood… It was infuriating. Could he be planning to use this as an excuse to strike up a conversation, spewing some weird lines?
She hoped not, otherwise, he’d learn that not every pretty girl is frail and unable to resist.
But then…
“Wait a second, classmate, wait!”
Often, bad premonitions turn into reality.
Sophie hadn’t even turned around when her brows furrowed, and the chill in her eyes reached an all-time high.
Sam’s footsteps hastened out of the store, eager, almost desperate to catch up.
Perhaps fleeing would have been safer, but Sophie chose to stop.
“Classmate, just hold on a moment…”
Upon hearing this, Sophie turned around to face Sam.
Despite his work attire, Sam was undeniably handsome, his charm almost too much.
But Sophie wasn’t swayed. She wasn’t the type to get flustered over someone’s looks, her demeanor icy.
“First off, classmate, I don’t know you, we’re not familiar. We’ve met, sure, but I’d classify our relationship as strangers. So, it’s best you don’t casually approach me just because you know where I live or that I am Sophie. It disgusts me, not just annoys me, but genuinely disgusts. Got it?”
Sam didn’t respond.
His expression was peculiar, as if he had witnessed a gripping movie scene.
Sophie wasn’t surprised by Sam’s near-dazed look.
Perhaps he thought she would be like other girls? Welcoming him with a smile just because he was good-looking?
Sophie’s tone grew even colder, more blunt.
“If you understand, then go back. If you see me at school, don’t even try to act like you know me. We didn’t meet tonight, we have no relationship, and we never will. Don’t bother me, got it?”
Finally, Sam uttered a single word.
“Okay.”
“Very well.”
Sophie huffed softly and then turned to leave.
As she walked away, she felt a sense of liberation, her mood significantly uplifted.
That’s right, confronting a young guy who uses his handsome looks to charm girls deserved this kind of attitude.
It was the only way to ensure she wouldn’t get hurt.
As for dating or getting married in the future… sorry, she had never considered marriage or romance since she was fifteen.
But as she continued walking, Sophie’s expression suddenly changed, and she spoke in a different tone.
“Sister… Wasn’t that a bit too harsh? He didn’t even say anything.”
Her expression then shifted back to icy coldness.
“The best way to protect oneself is not to give others a chance. Why do you think he chased after me? To remind me to be careful on the road?”
“But still…”
“There are no buts.”
Having said that, Sophie reached her front door and was about to fish out her keys.
But in the moment she reached for her keys… her expression changed drastically.
She realized that the wallet, which should have been in her pocket along with her keys, was missing!
The keys came out, but the pocket was empty!
How could this be?
She hadn’t felt the wallet drop on her way, and she had just taken cash out of it to pay!
Wait a minute?
To pay?!
Sophie suddenly remembered a scene.
“How much is that?”
“That’ll be $25. Cash or electronic payment?”
After the conversation, she took out money, grabbed the shopping bag, but left her wallet on the counter, and then turned to leave…
That’s when Sophie realized what a ridiculous mistake she had made.
Damn it, damn it, damn it!!
Didn’t she just act like a complete lunatic?
Ah, the embarrassment!
Total social suicide!
She even felt the urge not to go back for her wallet and pretend ignorance, but she couldn’t. It wasn’t just money, but also her bank cards and student ID inside!
So, she hurried back to the convenience store, awkwardly appearing before the male classmate who was standing behind the counter with a smile.
She mustered her emotions, her cheeks red as apples.
“I’m sorry, I just…”
“First off, classmate, I don’t know you, we’re not familiar. We’ve met, sure, but I’d classify our relationship as strangers. So, it’s best you don’t casually approach me just because you know where I live or that I am Sophie. It disgusts me, not just annoys me, but genuinely disgusts. Got it?”
Sophie’s eyes widened in disbelief at the male classmate before her.
He was smiling.
He even recited her earlier words verbatim.
“If you understand, then go back. If you see me at school, don’t even try to act like you know me. We didn’t meet tonight, we have no relationship, and we never will. Don’t bother me, got it?”
Sophie: Damn! Do you have such a good memory!
